This disclosure relates to controlling the flow of charge in the electrical stimulation of tissue.
Tissues can be electrically stimulated directly or indirectly to elicit a desired response. Direct stimulation involves the provision of one or more electrical stimuli directly to the stimulated tissue. Indirect stimulation involves the provision of one or more electrical stimuli to adjacent or otherwise related tissue, where the related tissue causes the desired response to be elicited from the stimulated tissue. The desired response can be, e.g., inhibitory or excitatory. Inhibitory responses tend to discourage certain behavior by the stimulated tissue, whereas excitatory responses tend to encourage certain behavior by the stimulated tissue. Encouraged or discouraged behaviors can include cellular depolarization, the release of chemical species, and/or the inhibition of cellular depolarization.
Electrical stimuli can be used by medical devices to stimulate tissue in a number of different settings, including therapeutic, diagnostic, and functional settings. In such settings, electrical stimulation often is provided in accordance with stimulation parameters. The stimulation parameters characterize the electrical stimuli for purposes of delivery.